topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2270.63 -0.42
DAX 6788.8 0.59
IBEX 30 8902.1 0.60
CAC 40 3424.71 0.43
FTSE 100 5895.47 0.33
AEX 325.12 -0.06
DJIA 12890.46 0.05
Nasdaq 2927.23 0.39
FTSE MIB 16653.83 -0.09
TSX Composite 12497.94 -0.18
ASX 4330.9 -0.60
Hang seng 20888.68 -0.58
Straits Times 2972.47 -0.29
ISEQ 20 503.71 0.33
You are here: Home News Spanish News Freed Al-Qaeda hostages meet Mali president

Spanish News

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


24/04/2009Freed Al-Qaeda hostages meet Mali president

Two Canadian diplomats and two European tourists who were held hostage for months by Al-Qaeda's north African wing are reportedly in good health.

BAMAKO –  Two Canadian diplomats and two European tourists released by Al-Qaeda-linked captors after months as hostages met Thursday with dealbroker Mali President Amadou Toumani Toure en route for home.

Robert Fowler, UN special envoy to Niger, and his assistant Louis Guay met with the president first. Fowler, visibly thinner and sporting a long beard, was overheard telling the Malian president "thank you" but did not make any public declaration.

Canadian ambassador Isabelle Roy, who was present at the meeting, thanked Mali for the "efforts deployed".

"It was the first time Canada asked us to assist them and we felt it was our duty to contribute to the release of its nationals," Toure said in a short statement.

According to the entourage of the Canadian diplomats they are set to leave Bamako Friday morning.

Toure also separately met with two European women released, German Marianne Petzold and Swiss Gabriella Greitner. The 77-year-old Petzold had bandages around one hand and did not speak to the media.

Before meeting Toure, Greitner briefly spoke telling journalists "I'm suffering, I'm hurt," according to a translation provided by a European journalist present.

It is not sure when Greitner and Petzold will return to Switzerland and Germany respectively.

Malian authorities said Wednesday the four were released after being held hostage "in the Sahel zone" and were generally in good health.

There were no details about where they had been detained within the desert zone that covers Mali, Algeria, Mauritania and Niger.

The kidnappers are still holding two others: Greitner's husband and a Briton.

The Canadian diplomats were snatched in Niger while the four tourists were kidnapped while visiting a Tuareg festival in northern Mali.

Mali, Canada, Germany and Switzerland were also keeping silent about the conditions of the negotiated release although Canada's prime minister stressed that no ransom had been paid.

Canada, the United Nations and Mali have all made a point of thanking Mali's neighbor Burkina Faso for its role in the negotiations but would not go into details about what Ouagadougou did.

"I would like to thank my brother Blaise Compaore, the president of Burkina who has given us his support from the start. He helped achieve this happy ending," Toure said Thursday.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI) claimed responsibility in February for the kidnapping of the Canadian diplomats in December and the four tourists snatched in January.

According to Malian officials close to the negotiations Al-Qaeda initially demanded the release of Mauritanian Islamic militants held in Mali then later tried to exchange its captives for Islamists arrested in Europe.

Pressed for details on any terms met for the release, Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper said Canada is "always willing to pursue negotiated resolutions" of hostage takings, but added Canada "does not pay ransoms. And we do not release prisoners."

While the hostages were abducted in neighboring Niger they were released in northern Mali close to the border. Both Mali and Niger have been plagued by Tuareg uprisings in the region making military control of the zone more difficult.

The Sahel, with vast stretches of inhospitable desert, is notoriously difficult to control. Rebel movements and other armed groups roam largely unhindered over borders between the countries.

Al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb has said it intended to unify armed Islamist groups in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, as well as emerging groups in countries bordering the Sahara like Niger and Mali.

It has also claimed a series of deadly suicide bombings in Algeria, other attacks in the region and several kidnappings.

AFP / Expatica


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment
Discussion Forums

English in Spain

Public (free) primary schools in Barcelona + surrounding areas.

Jobs in Spain

IFAs / FSIs / Country Managers / Confidential Introducers

Community Noticeboard Spain

Barcelona-stay updated!

Housing in Spain

Sitges, Barcelona - 5 Bedroom Villa € 1,150,000 For Sale

Jobs in Spain

“Silicon Valley Comes to Barcelona”, 24th Feb 2012

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Editor's Guide: Getting Started in Spain

Editor's Guide: Getting Started in Spain

Expatica's Getting Started section will provide practical information on how you can open a bank account, exchange your driving licence, improve your Spanish, and more.

Groups and Clubs in Madrid

Groups and Clubs in Madrid

Here's a guide to an extensive list of groups and clubs in Madrid for expats, from sports groups to social and family gatherings.

Groups and Clubs around Spain

Groups and Clubs around Spain

A brief introduction to our Tax section for Spain, from help with inheritance tax to accounting advice.

Groups and Clubs in Barcelona

Groups and Clubs in Barcelona

Here's a short introduction to our Banking section for those living in Spain, from what to ask the experts to opening a Spanish bank account.